Even the best planners among us can’t anticipate when a cold or flu will take you out. The weeks leading up to moving can be tiring and stressful, particularly if you are moving an entire household to a new city or state, and that is bound to be taxing on the body. Do what you can to take good care of yourself in preparation for your move, but just in case you find yourself wishing you could just stay in bed, here are our best tips for moving when feeling under the weather.
Reschedule if possible
Trying to push through your illness now will only make it last longer when you’d rather be spending your time settling into your new home rather than blowing your nose. If at all possible, it’s best to push back moving day even by just a couple of days to give you time to rest. Unfortunately, many times that isn’t an option once you’ve scheduled the moving company and already sent your bed off into the trucks. So if you really find yourself forced to move with your tissue box in hand…
Ask your family and friends to help manage things
Being sick makes it difficult to concentrate and, depending on the severity of your illness, you may not be in the best shape to make decisions and drive. Send out an S.O.S. to friends and family to help you move by stepping in to manage the events of the day, and find a volunteer to drive you to the new house. That way you can use your limited energy and focus on the most important things of the day, and not risk your safety by trying to drive. If you’re moving with children, find a friend or family member who wants to hang out with them for the day while the bulk of the moving occurs.
Trust the movers to do their job
You hired a team of professional movers, right? So relax and let them do what they do best. Let them do all of the heavy -lifting and pack the truck properly, and focus on the small details instead: is your personal vehicle ready to go? Do you know where your toothbrush is? What last-minute details crop up that need your attention? They are professionals after all.
Take frequent breaks
If you do find yourself swept up in the bustle of moving day, be sure you take frequent breaks to rest. That means sitting down and closing your eyes for a moment if possible, maybe at a neighbor’s house, or even just stepping away from the moving process for a few minutes to take a breath. If you are moving in cold weather, be sure you take time to warm up and keep yourself bundled well if you must be outside; if you’re moving in the heat, take time to cool down and get out of the sun, and be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen to avoid too much sun exposure. Overall, do what you can to create a low-stress moving day!
Drink more water
Things can get hectic and time will fly by, but don’t forget to drink plenty of water and eat! Keep a thermos of hot tea available, grab some soup, and keep the water intake high. Sure, that will also mean lots of bathroom breaks, but it’ll help ensure you don’t feel even worse tomorrow — when you’d much rather be excitedly settling into your new home.
